Security-interviewer device



United States Patent 3,332,262 SECURITY-INTERVIEWER DEVICE Sal Schillizzi, 1175 Lexington Ave., New York, NY. 10028 Filed July 13, 1965, Ser. No. 471,651 9 Claims. (Cl. 70-447) My invention relates to a security-interviewer device combining the features and advantages of a peep-hole device and of a lock installed in the entrance door of an apartment or dwelling for example.

The security-interviewer device of my invention, moreover, has the additional advantages of being installable as a unit requiring only a single hole 'to be bored through the door and of being manufacturable economically and in a simple manner from conventional parts. The device of my invention also finds particular application in a situation where, for example, a landlord of a multiple dwelling arbitrarily prohibits installation of a conventional peep-hole device which usually requires the boring of a hole in the upper central part of the door.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide a security-interviewer device which is installable as a combination unit in an entrance door.

It is another object of my invention to provide a security-interviewer device which affords a minimum of hardware for installation on or in a door.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a security-interviewer device which can 'be located on a door at a level thereof that is readily accessible to a child or an adult of relatively short height without necessitating the elevation of the child or short adult by the employment of a chair, ladder or other elevating means.

It is an additional object of my invention to provide a security-interviewer device which can be located at the edge of a door yet which will nevertheless afford a wide field of view on one side of the door that will render a .person at any position in front of that side of the door readily visible from the other side of the door.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a security-interviewer device consisting of conventional structural components that are assemblable relatively economically and in a relative simple manner.

The features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in security-interviewer device, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

' The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of a specific embodiment thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the cylinder of a lock mounted on a door and forming part of the security-interviewer device constructed in accordance with my invention;

FIG. 2 is a left hand end view of the cylinder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a slightly reduced right hand view of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the telescopic viewer forming part of my invention and diagrammatically showing its field of view.

As shown in the figures, I provide a standard cylinder lock 10, for example of the jimmy-proof, key operated 3,332,262 Patented July 25, 1967 type, although it is readily understandable that locks of the combination type may also be similarly employed. The cylinder 12 extends through a hole 14 bored in an entrance door 16 for example. It has a conventional system of drivers and tumblers 18 elevatable by the inserted key 20 to permit the plug 21 to be turned so as to release a bolt 22 in a conventional manner from interlocking engagement with a retainng member or strike 24 that is secured to a stationary frame 26 of the door.

In the illustrated embodiment, a hole 28 is drilled through the cylinder 12 of the lock 10, or otherwise suitably formed, in a direction parallel to its longitudinal axis at a location that does not interfere with the mounting screws or bolts 30 for example, or with the operating mechanism of the lock such as the tumblers 18 and springs 32 for example.

A miniature telescope 34 is inserted in the hole 28 extending through the cylinder 12 so that a person located at the left hand side of the door 16 as viewed in FIG. 1 can be sighted through the telescope by a person located on the other side of the door 16, i.e., the side from which the bolt 22 can be withdrawn by turning the knob 37, before he or she turns the knob to open the door.

The telescope 34 can be of any conventional type and can consist, as a preferred embodiment, of an ocular lens 36 at one end and a wide-angle lens 38 such as the illustrated planoconcave lens for example, at the other end of a tubular member 40 which is snugly press-fitted, secured by epoxy cement or otherwise suitably fastened in the hole 28.

The wide-angle telescope 34 serves a rather unique purpose in the device constructed in accordance with my invention. The 10k 10 is conventionally located at the edge of the door 16, usually about one-third to one-half way up the height of the door, whereas the face of a person of average height standing adjacent the opposite side of the door is usually located about three-quarters or more of the distance up the height of the door. As shown in FIG. 4, the wide-angle telescope 34 thus covers a Wide field of view Which permits a person in a closed space on one side of the door 16 to view a second person located at substantially any position adjacent the other or outer side of the door.

The telescope can also be suitably provided in a known manner with a lens system that will afford a magnified image of the person being viewed.

The telescope is located at a side of the knob 37 of the lock 10 opposite the side thereof at which the bolt 22 is located. As viewed in FIG. 3, the bolt 22 is on the right hand edge of the door 16 so that the telescope 34 is at the left hand side of the knob 37. When the bolt 22 is located on the left hand edge of a door, the telescope 34 will then be inserted in a hole 28 drilled through the cylinder 12 at the right hand side of the knob 37.

I claim:

1. Security-interviewer device comprising a lock for a door, said lock having a portion formed with a pair of opposite end faces, said portion being insertable in a hole provided in the door so that said end faces are located at opposite sides of the door, said lock having means for bolting the door to a fixed door frame so as to close off one space from another and having means at one side of the door for manually releasing said door bolting means, means on the other side of the door having an opening therein for receiving a key adapted to release said door bolting means from the other side of the door, both of said means for releasing said door bolting means being in mutual axial alignment on opposite sides of the door, and optical lens means extending through a bore formed in said portion between said end faces thereof and located adjacent said manual releasing means whereby a first person located in the space on one side of the door can view the space on the other side of the door through said optical lens means to identify a second person seeking entry to the space on said one side of the door, and said first person can actuate said means for manually releasing said door bolting means to open said door and admit said second person.

2. Security-interviewer device comprising a cylinder lock for a door, said lock having a cylinder insertable into a hole formed in the door so that the end faces of the cylinder are located at opposite sides of the door, said lock having means for bolting the door to a fixed door frame so as to close off one space from another and having means at one side of the door for releasing said door bolting means, means on the other side of the door having an opening therein for receiving a key adapted to to release said door bolting means from the other side of the door, both of said means for releasing said door bolting means being in axial alignment on opposite sides of the door, and optical magnififing means extending through a bore formed in said cylinder substantially parallel to the axis of said cylinder and located adjacent said manual releasing means whereby a first person located in the space on one side of the door can view the space on the other side of the door through said optical magnifiying means to identify a second person seeking entry to the space on said one side of the door, and said first person can actuate said means for releasing said door bolting means to open said door and admit said second person.

3. Security-interviewer device comprising a cylinder door lock, the cylinder of said lock being insertable in a hole formed in a door so that the end faces of said cylinder are located at opposite sides of the door, said lock having a bolt for locking the door to a fixed door frame so as to close olf one space from another and having a knob at one side of the door, said knob being turnable manually for releasing said bolt and unlocking the door, said cylinder having a key-receiving plug located on the other side of the door in axial alignment with said knob, said plug being actuable by turning the key to release said bolt and unlock the door from the other side thereof, and optical lens means extending through a bore formed in said cylinder between said end faces thereof and located adjacent said knob whereby a first person located in the space on one side of the door can view the space on the other side of the door through said optical lens means to identify a second person seeking access to the space on said one side of the door, and said first person can then actuate said knob for releasing said bolt to open said door and admit said second person.

4. Security-interviewer device comprising a cylinder door lock, the cylinder of said lock being receivable in a hole formed in a door so that the end faces of said cylinder are located at opposite sides of the door, said lock having a bolt for locking the door to a fixed door frame so as to close off one space from another and having a knob at one side of the door, said knob being turnable manually for releasing said bolt and unlocking the door, said cylinder having a key-receiving plug located on the other side of the door in axial alignment with said knob, said plug being actuable by turning the key to release said bolt and unlock the door from the other side thereof, and a telescope extending through a bore formed in said cylinder from end face to end face thereof and located adjacent said knob whereby a first person located in the space on one side of the door can view the space on the other side of the door through said telescope to identify a second person seeking entry to the space on said one side of the door, and said first person can then turn said knob for releasing said bolt to open said door and admit said second person.

5. Security-interviewer device according to claim 1 wherein said optical lens means comprises a Wide-angle lens for providing a relatively wide field of view of the space on the other side of the door.

6. Security-interviewer device according to claim 4 wherein said telescope comprises a tubular member extending through the hole in said lock cylinder and a lens system including a wide-angle lens mounted in said tubular member.

7. Security-interviewer device according to claim 6 wherein said lens system also provides magnification.

8. Security-interviewer device according to claim 2 wherein said cylinder door lock is adapted for mounting at the edge of the door and the hole formed in the door is located adjacent the door edge for receiving said lock cylinder therein.

9. Security-interviewer device according to claim 3 wherein said optical lens means is located at a side of said knob opposite the side thereof at which said bolt is located.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,499,018 6/ 1924 Hertel. 2,222,691 11/ 1940 Taigman -431 2,262,203 11/1941 Redstone et al. 88-1 2,638,810 5/1953 Berleme 88l 3,263,462 8/1966 Suroff et al 70-447 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,164,612 5/1958 France.

354,921 7/1961 Switzerland.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

EDWARD C. ALLEN, Examiner.

P. TEITELBAUM, Assistant Examnier. 

1. SECURITY-INTERVIEWER DEVICE COMPRISING A LOCK FOR A DOOR, SAID LOCK HAVING A PORTION FORMED WITH A PAIR OF OPPOSITE END FACES, SAID PORTION BEING INSERTABLE IN A HOLE PROVIDED IN THE DOOR SO THAT SAID END FACES ARE LOCATED AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE DOOR, SAID LOCK HAVING MEANS FOR BOLTING THE DOOR TO A FIXED DOOR FRAME SO AS TO CLOSE OFF ONE SPACE FROM ANOTHER AND HAVING MEANS AT ONE SIDE OF THE DOOR FOR MANUALLY RELEASING SAID DOOR BOLTING MEANS, MEANS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN FOR RECEIVING A KEY ADAPTED TO RELEASE SAID DOOR BOLTING MEANS FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR, BOTH OF SAID MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID FOOR BOLTING MEANS BEING IN MUTUAL AXIAL ALIGNMENT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE DOOR, AND OPTICAL LENS MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH A BORE FORMED IN SAID PORTION BETWEEN SAID END FACES THEREOF AND LOCATED ADJACENT SAID MANUAL RELEASING MEANS WHEREBY A FIRST PERSON LOCATED IN THE SPACE ON ONE SIDE OF THE DOOR CAN VIEW THE SPACE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR THROUGH SAID OPTICAL LENS MEANS TO IDENTIFY A SECOND PERSON SEEKING ENTRY TO THE SPACE ON SAID ONE SIDE OF THE DOOR, AND SAID FIRST PERSON CAN ACTUATE SAID MEANS FOR MANUALLY RELEASING SAID DOOR BOLTING MEANS TO OPEN SAID DOOR AND ADMIT SAID SECOND PERSON. 